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Charlie Simmer
| birth_place = Terrace Bay, ON, CAN | draft = 39th overall | draft_year = 1974 | draft_team = California Seals | career_start = 1974 | career_end = 1988 }} Charlie Robert Simmer *Born: March 20, 1954 in Terrace Bay, Ontario split his first three pro seasons between the parent club and the Salt Lake Golden Eagles of the Central Hockey League. ... in August 1977, signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Kings. ... in 1978-79, played only three games with L.A. ... called up halfway through the following year, scoring 21 goals in 38 games. ... in 1979-80, as part of the Triple Crown Line with Marcel Dionne, and Dave Taylor, he exceeded all expectations by scoring 56 goals and making 101 points. ... that year also scored at least one goal in each of 13 straight games to become the first player to threaten Punch Broadbent's record of 16 that dated back over five decades. ... named to the NHL's First All-Star Team. ... the next year he duplicated his 56-goal output but suffered a devastating compound fracture of his leg toward the end of the season. ... still garnered a spot on the NHL First All-Star Team for the second year running. ... spent the off-season and the early stages of the 1981-82 schedule recuperating from his injury. ... still recorded 51 assists and 29 goals playing all 80 regular season games. ... played for Team Canada at the World Championship. ... rebounded with 44 goals and 92 points in 1983-84. ... five games into the 1984-85 schedule, he was traded to the Boston Bruins, where he scored 33 goals and averaged a point per game. ... experienced injury troubles in 1985-86, but still scored 36 goals in 55 games. ... spent his last NHL season, with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1987-88. ... played the following year as a pro in Germany. ... took a year away from hockey before joining the San Diego Gulls of the International Hockey League for the 1990-91 season. ... playing one game for the squad in 1991-92 before retiring. ... was the last California Golden Seal and the last NHL Cleveland Baron active in professional hockey. ... Playing career While with the Kings, he played left wing on the "Triple Crown Line" with Marcel Dionne and Dave Taylor, one of the most potent and famed forward lines of the era. Despite injuries costing him significant playing time, Simmer had back-to-back 56-goal seasons and was further named an NHL First Team All-Star in 1980 and 1981. In the latter season, Simmer almost accomplished one of hockey's most difficult feats: scoring 50 goals in 50 games, with 50 in 51 games. That same season, Mike Bossy became only the second player in NHL history to score 50 in 50. Simmer's scoring percentage of 32.75 in 1981 was, and remains, an NHL record. Simmer was traded at the beginning of the 1985 season to the Boston Bruins, where despite the cumulative effects of several injuries throughout his career, he starred for three more seasons. In 1986, Simmer won the Bill Masterton Trophy for his perseverance and dedication to hockey. Simmer played his final NHL season for the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1988. He subsequently played the 1989 season for Eintracht Frankfurt in the German Bundesliga, and after a season off, parts of two seasons as a player-coach for the minor league San Diego Gulls before retiring. Career statistics Awards and achievements *MJHL Scoring Champion (1973) *MJHL North Division First All-Star Team (1973) * Holds the highest career scoring percentage in NHL history for a player playing in at least 700 games. * Played in NHL All-Star Game in 1981 and 1984. * Named to the Central Hockey League's Second All-Star Team in 1977. * Named to the American Hockey League's Second All-Star Team in 1978. * NHL First All-Star in 1979-80 NHL season & 1980-81 NHL season. External links * * Category:Born in 1954 Category:Canadian hockey players Category:Kenora Muskies player Category:Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds alumni Category: California Golden Seals draft picks Category:California Golden Seals players Category:Cleveland Barons (NHL) player Category:Los Angeles Kings players Category:Boston Bruins players Category:Pittsburgh Penguins players Category:Springfield Indians players Category:Bill Masterton Trophy winners Category:NHL players with 50 goal seasons Category:NHL players with 100 point seasons Category:NHL All-Stars